Achille Millien in Beaumont-la-Ferrière, Nièvre (58)

Tiny Beaumont-la-Ferrière (pop. 123 in 2015) has an important son: the writer and folklorist Achille Millien (1838-1927), who was born in and died in the village. Millien spent his childhood in Beaumont and published his first collection of poems at the age of 21. An information plaque outside his house calls him one of the great folklorists of the 19th century. He collected many songs with their music, 900 variations of tales, hundreds of legends, proverbs and documents. Below I show images of the monument to Millien at the side of the church (erected 1938), his house, and his grave in the local cemetery.